Photo: Diana Light

How do wicks last so long?

The reason the wick does not burn is because the vaporizing wax cools the exposed wick and protects it. You may have seen the camping trick of boiling water in a paper cup. The cup does not burn because the water inside cools it. The liquid wax does the same thing for the wick.

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" " Three candles with gold ribbon and red beads , vertical iStockphoto/Jonathan Heger Candles really are an amazing lighting system -- the fuel itself is the package. There are two parts that work together in a candle:

The fuel, made of some sort of wax

The wick, made of some sort of absorbent twine

The wick needs to be naturally absorbent, like a towel, or it needs to have a strong capillary action (as in glass fiber wicks used in oil lamps). If you buy a length of un-waxed wick at a craft store and play with it, you will find that it feels like soft string and absorbs water very well. This absorbency is important in a candle because the wick needs to absorb liquid wax and move it upward while the candle is burning. Paraffin wax is a heavy hydrocarbon that comes from crude oil (see What is the difference between gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, etc.? for details on how things like gasoline and paraffin wax are made from crude oil). When you light a candle, you melt the wax in and near the wick. The wick absorbs the liquid wax and pulls it upward. The heat of the flame vaporizes the wax, and it is the wax vapor that burns. You can prove that it is wax vapor, rather than liquid wax, that is burning with two experiments: If you place one end of a metal or glass tube (shaped like a thin straw, 4 to 6 inches / 10 to 15 cm long) into a candle's flame at a 45-degree angle, you can then light the upper end of the tube. The paraffin vapor flows up the tube and is the fuel for this second flame. When you blow out a candle, you notice a stream of white smoke leaving the wick. This stream is paraffin vapor that has condensed into a visible form. It continues to form as long as the wick is hot enough to vaporize paraffin. If you touch a lit match to the stream, a flame will run down it and re-light the wick. The reason the wick does not burn is because the vaporizing wax cools the exposed wick and protects it. You may have seen the camping trick of boiling water in a paper cup. The cup does not burn because the water inside cools it. The liquid wax does the same thing for the wick. Paraffin wax will burn on its own, but it is like cooking oil, motor oil and coal in that you have to get it very hot for combustion to begin. An oil fire is intense and very hard to put out. Paraffin is the same way. In a candle, this works great -- only the tiny amount of wax on the wick is hot enough to vaporize and burn.

Originally Published: Apr 1, 2000

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Is it permitted to use flexible metal conduit?

Flexible Metal Conduit (FMC). FMC shall be permitted to be used in exposed and concealed locations.

up.codes - Flexible Metal Conduit: Type FMC - UpCodes

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Exception No. 1: Where FMC is fished between access points through concealed spaces in finished buildings or structures and supporting is impracticable. Exception No. 2: Where flexibility is necessary after installation, lengths from the last point where the raceway is securely fastened shall not exceed the following: 900 mm (3 ft) for metric designators 16 through 35 (trade sizes 1/ 2 through 11/ 4 ) 1200 mm (4 ft) for metric designators 41 through 53 (trade sizes 11/ 2 through 2) 1500 mm (5 ft) for metric designators 63 (trade size 21/ 2 ) and larger Exception No. 3: Lengths not exceeding 1.8 m (6 ft) from a luminaire terminal connection for tap connections to luminaires as permitted in 410.117(C) Exception No. 4: Lengths not exceeding 1.8 m (6 ft) from the last point where the raceway is securely fastened for connections within an accessible ceiling to a luminaire (s) or other equipment . For the purposes of this exception, listed flexible metal conduit fittings shall be permitted as a means of securement and support. FMC shall be securely fastened in place by an approved means within 300 mm (12 in.) of each box, cabinet conduit body , or other conduit termination and shall be supported and secured at intervals not to exceed 1.4 m (4ft). Where used, cable ties shall be listed and be identified for securement and support.

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